Grey Again

 This morning the clouds were suffused with a rosy blush but that sadly was it as far as the sun was concerned as those clouds soon assumed a less welcome but more familiar grey look to them. On my walk to Deene today I was treated to several spells of rain but they were never heavy enough to make me regret my decision to leave the house. Photographic opportunities were few and far between so instead of treating you to a series of shots of damp fields etc I'll include some pics from this year's dragonfly season.

Large Red, Willow Emerald and Variable Damselflies.

Checking Willowbrook Industrial Estate for Stonechats drew a blank and in fact the early part of my stroll was every bit as dreary as the weather. Along Kirby Lane  I did manage to find a female Stonechat close to the hall while a Raven was calling nearby. Reaching Deene Lake I actually bothered to take my scope out of the bag for a change and it did pay dividends. A female Red Crested Pochard was my first at the site and it was one of the few diving ducks, a small number of Tufted Ducks were also present. Good numbers of dabbling ducks included plenty of Gadwalls and there were many Teal at the inflow. Shelduck numbers have risen to eight and the pair of Egyptian Geese were still present. Other regulars on site included the pair of Black Swans while a single Green Sandpiper joined those teals at the inflow.

Small Red-eyed Damselfly, Scarce and Broad-bodied Chasers

Not much else to report, Redwings and Fieldfares remain common but for the first time in a while I saw no Siskins or Redpolls. Raptors were well represented with four species on view but there was little else of note.

Hairy Dragonfly and Emperor.

Eyebrook Excursion

 A somewhat dreary day today with a lingering fog and lack of sunshine that made for some challenging viewing. I gave the county the old heave ho and made my way just over the border to Eyebrook for one of my periodic visits. Luckily the birding was a bit less drab than the weather and I enjoyed a fairly good session.

Great White Egret with friends.

Soon after arriving at the Stoke Dry car park I saw a Great White Egret feeding in the shallows, sometimes in the company of a Little Egret or Grey Heron though often on its own. A little further along I saw my first Pintails of the day, by the time I'd finished I'd seen over twenty of these attractive ducks. Numbers of dabbling ducks in particular seemed high and that may well have been due to the low water levels. Exposed mud was probably the reason that so many Lapwings were gathered up at the sharp end keeping company with a small number of Golden Plovers, Also feeding in the same area were a number of Dunlins, I estimated about forty in total. The other waders noted on my visit were eight Snipe and two Redshanks.

Pintail and Wigeon.

The foggy conditions meant that I couldn't find the Great Northern Diver that has been present here and it looked as if I was going to miss out on the reported redhead Smew too. Luckily as I was about to leave a text from Eyebrook regular Phil Rogers alerted me to the presence of a drake and redhead. A quick retracing of my steps followed and I managed some distant views of the Smews before I left. Apologies for the poor nature of some of the photos but it was far from ideal weather for pics.

Dunlin and Smew record shot.

Frosty

 Last night's frost was the worst one of the autumn so far and it may well prove to be a St George's one, I certainly couldn't find any dragons on my visit to Weldon. Despite looking for several hours my efforts drew a blank so unless any managed to hang on at Priors Hall it looks very much as if the season is over. Time to put the close focus bins aside for now and get the birding ones out!

Weldon ducks.

No surprises today with the usual cast of characters including Siskins and Redpolls as well as Fieldfares and Redwings. While the A43 pond will not be rivalling any of the county's waters for goodies it did support  a decent enough list for what amounts to rather a small and polluted pool. Tufted Ducks have returned since my last visit and joined the Gadwalls and Mallards that are usually present. As well as the long staying Mute Swan pair and Canada Geese there was a single Coot and a gang of Moorhens. A Heron popped in for a bit of a preen while a Kingfisher showed distantly. So not the most exciting of times but good to be out in the sunshine all the same.

Heron, Canada Geese and Kingfisher.

Still Darting

 A fine and sunny day today though quite cool in the shade, I began my day by scrounging a lift over to Blatherwycke. Highlight was the several Mandarins in their usual spot but there was little else of note. One thing I did enjoy though were the whistling calls of the many Wigeon grazing on the grassy banks, it's a sound so evocative of winter birding. I popped into the churchyard to see if any Hawfinches might be around but didn't manage to strike lucky.

Dunnock and Robin.

The walk between here and Deene was a little on the quiet side with nothing out of the ordinary to report.  Deene Lake held a pair of Egyptian Geese and also saw the return of Shelducks as two were present. There followed another spell of not seeing much until I arrived at Priors Hall. Two Woodcocks were the best birds here and I also saw a single Snipe. Small numbers of Siskins and Redpolls were also seen while a Brown Hare was the only mammal of note.

Redpoll, Pied Wagtail and Wigeon.

With all of the sunshine I had hoped to see a Common Darter or two and was not to be disappointed. Having seen a couple of males around several of the ponds I made my way to one of the most productive pools where amongst other things I met fellow late darter devotee Alan Shorrock. We managed to find perhaps as many as ten flitting around of which five perched on me at one point or another! A search for Willow Emeralds drew a blank though it's not too surprising given the lateness of the date. If we can avoid any harsh frosts in the near future we may yet get an advent darter - fingers crossed!

Common Darters

Tickled Pink

 For much of today it looked as if I would have little to report again and would effectively being polishing a Dame Thora when it came to writing this blog. Happily an unexpected intervention by a passing skein of honkers means I can put the polish away for another day!

Peregrine and Kestrel.

Things began promisingly enough with the sighting of a Peregrine at one of their favourite spots but then settled down into familiar territory. Brookfield Plantation was fairly quiet with just a few Siskins and a large mixed flock on view. The fields around Gretton held large numbers of Fieldfares in particular as well as familiar open country species such as Linnets and Skylarks. Harringworth Lodge Lake held only a Moorhen and a young Cormorant and I was beginning to think that I should have stayed at home. As I was turning to go a familiar noise in an unfamiliar location announced the arrival of a large flock (50 - 55) Pink-footed Geese flying over in a north westerly direction. Grabbing a few record shots to of my first ever Northants sighting I watched them fly on in the direction of Gretton. It's safe to say that these were definitely the highlight for today.

Pink-footed Geese.

The return journey was predictably something of an anti climax as I retraced my steps without adding any other sightings of note. 

House Sparrow.

Quiet

 A rather drab day with only the occasional spell of hazy sunshine to brighten things up a bit. It took quite a while for me to summon enough enthusiasm to venture out though in the end I managed to find enough to take a walk over towards the area near the sewage works.

Interest free zone!

A Buzzard and a Red Kite served as the welcoming committee on my arrival though the many Redwings feeding in the area seemed distinctly unhappy with the raptors' low passes. Joining the Redwings and Blackbirds were a few Fieldfares taking advantage of what appears to be a bumper crop of haws. Plenty of Goldfinches were present on site and there were also a few Bullfinches. Once again half a dozen Teal were on the ponds and a Grey Wagtail flew over. With little else of note I decided to abandon ship and head home, you can't win them all.

End of the Road?

 Quite a pleasant day once the early morning rain had moved on to leave a sunny if blowy sort of afternoon. After an uneventful stroll around Willowbrook Industrial Estate I moved on to Priors Hall where things proved to be a little more interesting though not by much!

Lapwings

Best bird at Priors was my first Woodcock of the Autumn which was flushed from pines near the ponds. An echo of the past summer in the shape of a Chiffchaff was heard calling, it may well go on to winter in the area. Not too many other birds to mention aside from a few Siskins and a large flock of Lapwings in the quarry.

Common Darter before and after my heroic rescue efforts.

With so much sunshine on offer I spent some time looking for late season dragons and I met with some success. At least twenty Common Darters were flitting around in sheltered spots and I moved one cold looking male to a sunnier spot where it might survive for a little longer. Try as I might I couldn't find any other species and with temperatures looking set to lower it could well be the end of the season. Having said that Common Darters really are pretty tough little characters so there could yet be a sighting or two before the curtain finally comes down.

Welcome Back Old Sun

 Sunshine made a welcome return today making my last day off an enjoyable experience. I began with a short walk near the sewage works before heading off down to Weldon. While it was not the most productive of days it was at least better than my more recent excursions have been.

Starling and Great Spotted Woodpecker.

Not for the first time Teal and Grey Wagtail were on view near the STW though numbers of winter thrushes had dropped quite a bit. Some signs of movement were in evidence with Meadow Pipit and a site rarity Yellowhammer passing overhead.

Common Darters.

I arrived at Weldon just before eleven and began to see the hoped for dragonflies almost immediately. Common Darters are usually the last species on the wing so it was not a surprise to find ten plus flitting around the pond. More surprising were the two or three Migrant Hawkers flying around the reedbed as these are the latest ones that I've ever seen. Sadly I could only manage one dreadful picture but that was at least it was one more picture than I got of a male Southern Hawker which put in a brief appearance. Seeing three species of dragons this late in the season is unprecedented for me and must be due to the mild Autumn that we've enjoyed so far. I tried to make it four by searching for Willow Emeralds but did not manage to find any. Best birds were a flock of about ten Redpolls while other wildlife included a late Carder Bee.

Migrant Hawker (honest!) and Carder Bee.

More of the Same

 I'm having a couple of days off to celebrate my wife's birthday but allowed myself a couple of hours break from the celebrations for a stroll around Brookfield Plantation in Corby. Both the weather and birding matched my most recent days out by being a little on the dull side and there was little in the way of interest to report.

Peregrine

The plantation was pretty quiet and I only encountered several tit flocks on my travels though they did include Marsh Tits in amongst them. Finches featured too on the list with small numbers of Siskins and a few Redpolls being outshone by a single Brambling. Aside from the usual winter thrushes the only other wildlife of note was a small herd of Fallow Deer that ran across one of the rides. Nearby things picked up a tad with a sighting of one of the local Peregrines at a nearby site.

More Fog

 A case of deja vu this morning as a peek out of the curtains revealed that another foggy start was on the cards. In fairness it cleared a lot quicker than yesterday's dose did leaving a pleasantly mild and clear morning. I was hoping that there might be a bit more sun today but although it did put in the odd appearance there was not enough to bring out any late dragons or damsels. My travels only took me as far as Weldon, I'm trying to avoid public transport or lifts while we go through this latest lockdown.

Weldon - here be dogs.

I began near the sewage works where things were a lot quieter than of late. Once again a small party of Teal were on the ponds and the usual Grey Wagtail paid a visit but there was little else to report. Weldon too was a little on the dull side with only a small selection of birds on view. Both Redwings and Fieldfares were present in small numbers feeding on the many berries festooning the bushes. A few Redpolls were noted as was a small flock of Siskins as I waited in vain for a sustained period of sunshine. As I was seeing far more pooches and their owners than wildlife I decided to call it a day and head home.

Red Kite, Mallard and Robin.

Yesterday I claimed to have seen several small moths flitting around Priors Hall when in fact they were caddis flies. I'd never knowingly seen the adults before so was grateful when my stringy shenanigans were corrected on Facebook. I put my new found knowledge to the test again today when I saw a couple more on the wing.

Not a moth as claimed yesterday but a caddis fly.

Pea Souper

 A very foggy start to the day with pretty poor visibility for most of the morning. I didn't venture too far in these challenging conditions and restricted my wanderings to Weldon and Priors Hall. There were few highlights to report though it was far from being a waste of time.

Foggy Scenes.

Pausing at the A43 pond at Weldon did not produce any further sightings of Shovellers though I did pick out a few Gadwalls along with the long staying Mute Swans and Canada Geese. Arriving at Priors Hall I found that the fog was if anything even thicker and I was reduced to a spell of mainly bird listening. Snipe were heard on four occasions while several Golden Plovers were also heard passing over. Three small flocks of Lapwing took the wader count up to three while a couple of Teal took the day's duck count up too. Both Fieldfares and Redwings were noted in reasonable numbers as well as several flocks of Siskins and at least two Redpolls. Other decent birds recorded today included a Kingfisher and two Water Rails.

Siskin and micro moth.

As the fog gradually cleared there was a brief burst of sunshine though it was a little too weak and watery to produce much in the way of insects. One solitary Common Darter was seen briefly though not photographed and I saw several small brown micro moths around the site. 

Glad my wife didn't see this one!